by Maria Connors

It’s no secret that Worcester is a burgeoning food hub, with an endless list of options for dining on every scale. Included in this myriad are a variety of successful businesses native to the city, all of which have seen their products thrive both locally and outside of their hometown. This month we’ve chosen to highlight four local businesses that have come to be staples in the stomachs of Worcester residents, each with a distinctly different path to success.

Table Talk Pies
If you’re on the hunt for a dessert that can serve one person or a whole table, you may want to pay a visit to Table Talk Pies. Table Talk Pies have graced people’s pantries and tabletops since 1924, when two Greek immigrants who worked in a small bakery started the company. It was the grandfather of Harry
Kokkinis, the current president of Table Talk, who worked with his business partner to bake pies during the night and deliver them during the day until their business finally took off. Table Talk Pies hit some bumps in the road along the way, when the company was sold in 1965. It was run into the ground and officially closed in the mid-1980s. Kokkinis describes how his father finally bought back the building in 1986. He purchased the name and some new equipment and slowly but steadily began to rebuild their family’s company. Kokkinis himself took over the business in 2003, and credits new technology in food science with helping the company continue to succeed. By freezing their pies, Table Talk can ship their product all over the country. Most recently,
Kokkinis discloses excitedly, he found out their pies were sold at a 7/11 in Hawaii. Despite the far distances Table Talk Pies travel,
Kokkinis credits the city of Worcester as a pillar of the company’s success. He claims the city is a “great place to do business”, and that the two things that make their company great are a commitment to quality and “great employees that help achieve that quality.” In 2018, alone the company sold over 200 million 4-inch pies, their best-selling product being their apple pie closely followed by blueberry.
Kokkinis’ favorite? Of the smaller pies, he recommends their lemon pie, but if you’re looking for a pie to share with the table, pumpkin is the way to go.

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